Felting is done when animal fibres are separated, tangled and relocked. In wet felting, tiny scales in the fibres are separated using heat (warm water or friction), and tangled again using various tools. Interlocking occurs when the fibres cool. In needle felting, the scales are interlocked using barbed needles.

Materials required:

• Wool, natural fibres
• Warm soapy water
• Plastic sheet
• Felting needles
• Sheer fabric (like silk)
• Flat spongey support

Technique:

a) Wet felting:

• Arrange the wool or yarn and wet it with soapy water
• Rub the wool until the surface grows thicker and more stable
• You can also roll it in a bamboo mat
• If using artificial fibres, a minimum of 30% wool content is still required

b) Needle felting:

• Arrange the wool in the manner desired
• Poke the wool with the felting needles until structure is firm
• This technique is suitable for both 2D and 3D felted works

c) Nuno felting:

• Arrange the wool or other natural fibres on the fabric placed atop the sponge
• Poke the wool with the felting needles until structure is firm
• The effects of different fibres on different background fabric can be explored

Applications include:

• Making of very stiff object (like winter coats, boots and bags)
• Delicate objects (like scarfs and accessories)
• Mixing both properties to achieve intriguing designs

Personal reflection:

I do enjoy the long and tedious process of felting as the end result is somewhat unpredictable. The resulting textures on the back surface of nuno felting was a unexpectedly delightful as well. The soothing and warm tactility of woollen surfaces makes the process worthwhile and highly therapeutic! 

Fusing of plastics makes use of heat fusion, causing the materials to melt and be welded together. Properties of the original plastic also changes with the heat (i.e.  plastics shrink due to the realignment of the internal structure and the release of trapped air)

Materials required:

• Iron
• Baking paper
• Plastic items (bags, bubble wraps, netting, etc)
• Scissors

Technique:

• Arrange the materials
• Place baking paper on top
• Iron over the baking paper

Applications include:

• making use of the waterproof qualities of plastic (e.g. raincoats, hats, bags) and sewn together like fabric
• up-cycling and art-making

Personal reflections:

The fusing of plastics allow new forms of textiles to be made, and from it a meaningful design can emerge . This changed my impression of plastic as a wasted piece of disposable! It is as if plastic is a three-dimensional sheet of paint, fluid yet structural.

The trip to Touch and Print as well as the National Design Centre was highly intriguing and engaging. We were personally introduced to how transfer printing is done!

Through the presentation, we learnt about the differences between two types of surface printing:

We were also lectured on laser transfer printing and witnessed first hand the demonstration on two T-shirts, one on a white piece and the second on a blue piece. They required different transfer papers by TheMagicTouch and the processes varied accordingly.

Steps for the white shirt transfer included:

• laser printing the design onto the paper
• cutting out the design close to the borders
• placing the design faced down on the shirt
• applying the heat-press
• quickly removing the transfer paper from the shirt
• laying a baking paper over the transferred design and applying the heat-press once again

Other applications of transfer printing also include the incorporation of circuit boards unto fabric as well as deriving a circuit by etching away a metal surface.

Bleach contains hypocloric acid, a strong oxiders that attacks the  carbon bonds in the dyes of fabric.  The addition of chlorine or oxygen to the dye breaks the molecule, removing the colour.

Materials required:

• Dark fabric made of natural fibre
• Mask and gloves
• Spray or brush
• Bleach solution
• Wear unwanted clothes

Technique:

• Mix the bleach  with water
• Lay the fabric in any pattern, or use stencils
• Use a spray or brush to apply bleach
• Stop the bleaching process by washing (the eventual result is white)

Applications include:

• Multiple-step process whereby bleaching can be done in layers
• “Adding” designs onto plain fabric through stencilling or tying
• Giving new life to old clothes

Personal reflections:

Bleaching and dying works in opposites. One removes and the other adds on. However, both results in beautiful effects we cannot predict and it is up to our control and experimentation. However, bleaching seems to be more constrained by the base colours.

Making fabric out of threads uses a water soluble stabiliser which provides the temporary support in the making of delicate and mesh-like fabric. It also allows the resulting fabric to be moulded.

Materials required:

• Sewing machine
• Sewing pins
• Water soluble stabiliser
• Threads, yarn, fabric, strips, trimmings, nets, etc

Technique:

• Arrange the materials between two water soluble sheets
• Use pins to secure the materials
• stitch using the sewing machine, starting from the edge
• Wash in warm water to remove the membrane

• To mould the fabric, stop washing once the membrane dissolves
• Place the fabric over the mould to dry
• When dried, spray with UV resistant clear acrylic spray

• Beads and other embellishments can be embroidered on

Applications include:

• The making of decorative objects, accessories and art works
• Incorporation of natural materials (e.g. leaves and vines)

Personal reflections:

It is fascinating to know that we can create our own fabric with our own preferred materials. It made me curious about what stabilisers are and did further research.

Upon researching, I found that there are indeed various types of stabilisers used in embroidery, lace-making, knits and others. The technique which we used provides temporary structure suitable for delicate and mesh-like surfaces. Designs can also be marked onto this soluble sheet as a guide. Basting around the design provides extra support.

 The website, Threads Magazine, also made a summary of the different stabilising methods available.